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[micropolis] / src / notes / InterCHI-Interactive-Experience-Proposal

MicropolisNet: a Cooperative Multi User City Simulation

MicropolisNet is an animated interactive system simulation game, providing 
a set of rules and tools for planning and building a complex
dynamic simulated city.  Several people on different workstations can
participate in the same game, cooperating and coordinating their
actions over the net. 

Working together, you can zone land use, hook up the power grid, build
roads, bridges, parks and stadiums, raise taxes, and even summon
disasters, causing the city to grow and thrive, or crumble and die.
MicropolisNet features multiple city views and maps with overlays,
simultaneous editing and user interface interaction, "voting panels"
for group decision making, and multimedia communication and
annotation features ("bridges between players").

The multi user interface supports communication via three media in
parallel: text, sound, and graphics.  It includes a scrolling text log
for telegram messages, a networked audio server for sound effects and
voice intercom, and shared cursors and graphical overlays for
pointing, gesturing, annotating and editing the map.

I propose to build a model of the Amsterdam neighborhood near
the conference ("bridges between dijks"), and let people walk up 
and interact as they please.  Experienced MicropolisNet players can
participate, using the shared environment and communication features
to demonstrate the system, advise other players, and coordinate the
game.  

The purpose of the experience is to create a constructive cooperative
virtual environment, where people can collaborate towards a common goal, 
take part in group decisions, and share resources, responsibility, 
and the consequences of each others actions. 

MicropolisNet is robust and easy to use, with engaging interactive sound
effects and lively graphical animation, so it's fun to watch as well
as play.  

MicropolisNet can be played across several different makes of computer at 
once ("bridges between brands").  It presently runs on color SPARC and 
Indigo workstations (and is easily portable to other Unix platforms), 
and plays over the net (but without sound) on other 8 bit color X 
terminals and workstations.  I can ship my own SPARC if necessary, and 
I'm trying to obtain support and a loan of equipment (hopefully Indigos) 
in Holland.

It would be useful to have a high resolution video projector, visible 
from the other workstations.  The projector could display overall city 
maps, graphs, messages, statistics and other global data, so players 
don't need to spend their own screen space.  

I need enough floor and table space to place workstations where people 
can walk up to them and use the keyboard, mouse, and microphone.  Most 
could be together in a group within view of the video projector, but 
others could be in remote locations. 

The workstations, network, video projector, and posters must be set 
up and torn down, but none of that's very difficult.  Thin wire ethernet
would be preferable, and would require thick to thin transceiver for the
workstations equipped with thick wire ethernet plugs.  

Once MicropolisNet is set up and running, it doesn't require special
supervision.  I will attend and demonstrate the system as much as I
can, but during other times, unless someone volunteers, it can run 
on its own, as long as there's enough security that none of the 
equipment walks off.  

I'm presently implementing MicropolisNet on X11 for DUX Software (who
licensed Micropolis from Maxis).  It's mostly functional now, and will
be ready to demonstrate, but not yet released as a product, by the time 
of the conference.  Soon I'll have an "Alpha" demo version for the SGI
and SPARC, for limited distribution to INTERCHI reviewers and other
interested people.  I'll make a video tape as soon as I have the 
time and equipment.  

I've given many talks and interactive presentations at conferences, 
and run demos at trade show booths.  At CHI'90, I participated in the 
"Empowered" performance (giving a whirlwind tour of pie menu based user
interfaces I'd implemented).  Last year, I ported Micropolis (single user) 
to OpenWindows on the SPARC (which won "Product of the Year 1992" from
Unix World).  I worked as a developer of The NeWS Toolkit (at Sun in
Mountain View) and the HyperLook UIMS (at the Turing Institute in
Glasgow), both of which I used to port Micropolis to the SPARC.  To 
implement MicropolisNet on X11, I'm using the Tk toolkit, which I chose 
to use because it's free, simple, and extensible.